“I definitely have long-term goals [and] short-term goals, but that
has been my goal since I first got into fighting: to be the best
fighter on the planet, no ifs, ands or buts about it; not one of
the best, not Top 5, not Top 3. I want to be the best
pound-for-pound fighter -- period,” Henderson said. “That goal is
still in my sights. I still always wake up thinking about
that.”

While doubters scoffed, Henderson shrugged.

“I don’t begrudge anybody their opinions,” he said. “I heard a few
people [say], ‘Who is this Ben Henderson guy? Who does he think he
is? He’s not Top 10 in the world.’ Well, that was your opinion a
year and a half ago, even less than that. I’m not mad at you for
your opinion, but I think your opinion might be a little off.”

Henderson -- the Sherdog.com “Fighter of the Year” for 2012 -- made
tremendous strides in his pound-for-pound quest over the last 12
months, as he defeated Edgar by unanimous decision to become UFC
lightweight champion and then successfully defended the belt twice,
first in his August rematch with “The Answer” and again against the
surging Nate Diaz at
UFC on Fox 5 in December. By the time his work was complete,
the 29-year-old had gone 75 minutes over 15 rounds and ascended to
the 155-pound penthouse.

It all started on Feb. 26 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama,
Japan. In a riveting five-round battle that showcased the best and
most endearing qualities of both men, Henderson dethroned Edgar and
captured the lightweight championship in the UFC 144 headliner. All
three cageside judges saw it in favor of Henderson: 49-46, 48-47
and 49-46.

Based out of the
MMA Lab in Glendale, Ariz., Henderson leaned heavily on
powerful kicks to the legs and body of the champion. To his credit,
Edgar pinned many of them between his arm and body, but they served
their purpose nonetheless.

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Edgar was victimized twice.

Late in the second round, Henderson permanently altered the
complexion of the 25-minute fight, as he delivered a searing upkick
from his back to Edgar’s exposed face. The New Jersey native
crumpled where he stood and Henderson leaped into action, seeking
his trademark guillotine choke.

Edgar avoided further danger, but the damage was done and it was
considerable.

Rounds three, four and five unfolded into a beautiful tapestry of
skill and will between two of the 155-pound division’s premier
fighters. His left eye nearly swollen shut and his nose badly
damaged by the upkick, Edgar never went away. However, Henderson
landed more strikes of consequence -- according to FightMetric
figures, he out-landed Edgar 87-68 in terms of total significant
strikes and 100-81 in terms of total overall strikes -- and
unleashed his guillotine once more in round four. Again, Edgar
freed himself.

Neither champion nor challenger held back in the fifth, as the
indomitable Edgar cracked Henderson repeatedly with short, straight
punches. Henderson provided his retort late in the frame with a
jumping knee and followed Edgar to the ground in the closing
seconds, working for a guillotine one last time. Alas, a finish was
not in the cards.

Henderson saw his size and strength as keys to the life-altering
victory.

“I wanted to use my size to my advantage,” he said. “Making weight
kind of sucks for me. I have to do like eight hard weeks and then
two hard days of cutting down the weight. I pay a big price for
that, and I want to make sure my opponents feel that pain when we
have our 25 minutes inside the Octagon.”

Six months later, they met again at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The
result was far more contentious, as Henderson escaped with a split
decision in the UFC
150 headliner on Aug. 11.

“Frankie is tough as heck, man. All his fights seem to be
controversial,” he said. “I think Frankie is just so good and so
tough that if he loses or wins, everything is going to be
controversial. Thankfully, [two of the three] guys who were judging
the fight ringside had it in my favor.”

Henderson’s game plan centered on kicks to the challenger’s lower
leg. The tactic was effective early, but Edgar grew wise to it as
the fight deepened. He countered beautifully with right hands, one
of which planted Henderson on the seat of his shorts in the second
round. Rounds one, two and five were relatively clear, with the
first going to Henderson and the second and fifth to Edgar. Rounds
three and four appeared far more competitive and difficult to
call.

“He was doing a good job of backing away and staying out of range,”
Henderson said. “Those leg kicks, we game planned to use those, to
get him off-balance and then to capitalize right away. I wanted to
pounce. I think I got him off-balance three times in the first
round, and I hesitated. I squandered my chance to jump on him.”

According to FightMetric figures, Edgar bested Henderson 70-65 in
total strikes and 66-62 in terms of significant strikes. He also
delivered four takedowns in the five-round affair and threatened
Henderson more than once with the guillotine choke. Afterward, the
champion admitted he left the cage with some regret.

“I should have pushed [the pace] a lot more. I didn’t push it
enough,” Henderson said. “I thought I was doing enough to win the
fight going into the fifth, but I knew the fifth was a crucial
round. I should have pushed it a lot more, and I’m very
disappointed in myself that I didn’t.”

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Diaz came up short in his bid.

Diaz served as the next hurdle for “Smooth,” and Henderson was in
prime form at the Key Arena in Seattle. There, he cruised to a
one-sided unanimous verdict over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5
winner in the UFC on Fox 5 main event on Dec. 8. All three cageside
judges scored it for the champion: 50-43, 50-45 and 50-45.

Searing leg kicks, energy-sapping clinches, takedowns and heavy
ground-and-pound were all part of the Henderson scheme, and he
executed it with remarkable precision.

Henderson secured takedowns in all five rounds, totaling eight of
them by the time the 25-minute fight was over. The Brazilian
jiu-jitsu brown belt neutralized Diaz’s boxing skills by attacking
his legs, smothering him with clinches and grounding him
repeatedly. Moreover, Henderson twice sent the Cesar
Gracie protégé reeling with punches -- an overhand left in the
second round and a right hook in the third.

Perhaps sensing his situation was dire, Diaz turned to leg locks
midway through the fight. None of them were successful. Henderson
simply scrambled out of danger, assumed top position and cut loose
with punches, elbows and hammerfists. According to FightMetric.com
figures, the MMA Lab representative out-landed Diaz by a staggering
124-30 margin in terms of significant strikes.

Henderson has won 16 of his past 17 bouts, including six in a row
since joining the UFC as part of the
World Extreme Cagefighting merger. He has clearly established
himself as the alpha male at 155 pounds.

“It’s just a matter of being well-prepared,” he said, “and being in
the gym as much as possible.”

“I just need to continue doing what I’m doing,” he said. “It
doesn’t happen overnight. If you want to be the best MMA promoter
and build your company up, it takes time. You have to lay the
ground work, stay on that grind, stay at it and, eventually, you
get those big, huge national deals. If you put the work in, it will
fall into place.”